2017-homeless-count surreypolicybrief final 2017sep25...the surrey homeless count brief contains...

2017 Surrey Homeless Count in Surrey Data Brief

Prepared by

BC Non-Profit Housing Association and M. Thomson Consulting in partnership with the Metro Vancouver Homelessness Partnering Strategy Community Entity

For the

Surrey Homelessness and Housing Task Force

SURREY

RIDGE MEADOWS

The LANGLEYs

BURNABY VANCOUVER

RICHMOND

DELTA

NEW WESTMINSTER

WHITE ROCK

NORTH SHORE

TRI-CITIES

The Surrey Homeless Count Brief contains findings from the 2017 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver pertaining to the city of Surrey. This report can be found on the Metro Vancouver Community Entity website, along with other reports generated from the 2017 Homeless Count and previous regional Homeless Counts:

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/homelessness/resources/Pages/default.aspx.

For further information and data, contact: [email protected]

Acknowledgements A research project of the size and complexity of the 2017 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver is only possible with the participation and support of many individuals and organizations. Our appreciation goes to all the agencies, service providers, government staff and others who helped organize and implement the count in Surrey and other communities. Funding for the 2017 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver was provided, in part, by the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy. The Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society, as well as the Real Estate Foundation of BC, contributed funds to the development of community-specific profiles such as this one and the implementation of local, targeted initiatives, such as the Surrey Enhanced Urban Strategy discussed in this report. We would like to acknowledge the tireless contribution of our local coordinators Veronica Reiss, Jonquil Hallgate and Erick Parmiter that made the count a success in Surrey. Further, a big thank you for the support of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Task Force’s steering committee in the planning and implementation of the count.

2017 Homeless Count in Surrey 1

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/homelessness/resources/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/homelessness/resources/Pages/default.aspx

mailto:[email protected]

2017 partners:


1. Introduction On March 8, 2017 the 2017 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver took place across the region. The purpose of the count was to estimate the number of people who are homeless in the region, obtain a demographic profile of the population, and identify trends compared to previous counts. This profile provides data from the 2017 Homeless Count specific to the municipality of Surrey. It informs local government and decision-makers, advocates and service providers about the dimensions of homelessness in Surrey in 2017 in relation to the region at large. This information is intended to ensure that appropriate resources can be made available to address the issue through adequate, appropriate and affordable housing and support services. The report contains local count findings, including demographic cross-tabulations and an analysis of the SEUS strategy.

Limitations Point-in-time homeless counts estimate the number of people who are homeless during a 24-hour period only. The Homeless Count methodology is most effective at counting one segment of the homeless population that is sometimes referred to as the “visible” homeless, which are those who tend to access homeless supports and services. Using the metaphor of an iceberg, the visible homeless represent just the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that a large proportion of the total homeless population is not enumerated during the count. For more information on the methodology. limitations and regional findings please review the full report (see above).

2. Homeless Count Participation in Surrey Of the 602 people counted at facilities and on the street, a total of 494 people also participated in the survey and provided more details about their health, sources of income and other personal information. Information on people staying at sheltered locations was collected from 23 facilities: two detox centres, six Extreme Weather Response (EWR)sheters, nine emergency shelters, two women’s transition houses, one youth safe house, two medical facilities and the Surrey RCMP. Across all shelters, Surrey had a 77% response rate (294 out of 384 adults and unaccompanied youth responded to the survey). A two-day extended count also took place in Surrey-Newton (see Chapter 5).


3. People Experiencing Homelessness in Surrey As with many other communities in the region the City of Surrey is faced with an unprecedented homelessness crisis. The total population enumerated in the homeless count was 602 individuals; of those, 399 (or 66%, compared to 71% across Metro Vancouver) were in shelters, including 44 in EWR shelters. The remaining 203 people were on the street. Overall, the community saw an increase in homelessness of 54% since 2005, reaching its highest ever point this year. Since the last count in 2014 numbers have increased by 49%. In comparison, between 2011 and 2016, the total Surrey population has increased by 4.3% (Census 2016). The increase in homelessness is therefore disproportionately higher than the population increase and cannot be explained solely by the increase in overall population. Figure 1: Surrey Homeless Population, Sheltered and Unsheltered, 2005-2017

263 307230

140203

44

10895

170263

355

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Unsheltered EWR Shelters, Safe Houses, Transition Houses, NFAs

602

403400402371


4. Key Findings from the 2017 Homeless Count in Surrey1 The following is an extract of key findings from the 2017 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver pertaining to the city of Surrey in relation to regional data. Data tables for the city of Surrey are provided in the appendix. While a total of 602 people were counted as homeless, all demographic data is derived from the 494 people who also participated in the survey. • 30% of people who are homeless identify as female in Surrey. Therefore a slightly higher

proportion of women in Surrey than across the region are homeless (30% compared with 27%).

• With youth representing 10% of the population, Surrey has a lower proportion of homeless youth than across the region (10% compared to 16% in Metro); at the same time Surrey has a higher proportion of homeless seniors compared to the region (24% vs. 21%). Half the homeless population is between 35 and 54 years old.

• Only 3% of the total population in Metro Vancouver as a whole identifies as Aboriginal (as per 2011 Census). However, 29% of individuals experiencing homelessness in Surrey identify as Aboriginal/Indigenous. While this is lower than the homeless population across the region (34%), individuals who are Aboriginal/Indigenous are significantly over-represented in Surrey’s homeless population. The majority of people who are homeless and identify as Aboriginal are located in Vancouver, followed by the City of Surrey.

• Sexual orientation can be a key driver of homelessness, particularly for youth. In Surrey, 7% of

homeless respondents to the survey identify as LGBTQ2+, compared with 8% regionally.

• Surrey’s homeless population has a higher proportion of individuals with two or more health conditions than the regional homeless population (57% vs. 52%), indicating a greater need for health supports and services.

• For three out of four health conditions, respondents in Surrey were more likely than

respondents across Metro Vancouver to be faced with one of these. In comparison to the region the following conditions were more commonly reported: Addiction (56% vs. 53%); a medical condition (49% vs. 44%); or a physical disability (35% vs. 34%). In Surrey, self-reported rates of mental illness are slightly below the reported regional percentages (36% vs. 38%).

• 46% of Surrey’s homeless population had been homeless for a year or more, compared with 51% of Metro Vancouver’s homeless population. This shows that long-term chronic homelessness is an issue faced by nearly half of Surrey’s homeless population. More than half (52%) of the individuals in Surrey who experience homelessness had lived in Surrey for all their lives or 10 years or more, compared with 50% of the regional population. This shows that homelessness is an issue experienced by long-term residents of Surrey.

1 The data set used to derive findings for communities like Surrey is small. Comparative results are not statistically significant at the 90% confidence level.


• Income assistance was a primary source of income for 47% of respondents, while 42% reported it as a source of income regionally. More people among Surrey’s homeless population reported receiving disability benefits than compared to region-wide numbers (32% vs. 28%, respectively).). However, a lower proportion of individuals reported employment as a source of income (13% in Surrey vs. 21% regionally). This indicates that Surrey’s homeless population is more likely to access government assistance for income than in other areas.

• The top five services used by respondents in Surrey were the emergency room (52%), meal programs (43%), ambulance (42%), hospital (non-emergency) 41%, and the health clinic (38%). Four of these five services are health-related, corresponding with high reporting of health conditions in Surrey’s homeless population.

87 people, or 20%, of respondents said that they are or have in the past been “in Ministry care.”

Homelessness across Surrey

Surrey Neighbourhoods (map). Using: ArcGIS (GIS software). Sources: Esri, DeLorme, HERE, MapmyIndia. With 411 people — that is 68% of all individuals experiencing homelessness in Surrey—- most people were located in Surrey Central. A further 20% of individuals experiencing homelessness were found in Newton (not including an additional 13 people counted during the SEUS strategy).

WHALLEY GUILDFORD

FLEETWOOD

NEWTON CLOVERDALE

SOUTH SURREY

CITY CENTRE


Another 9% were found in Guildford and 2% in Cloverdale. One homeless individual was found in South Surrey and no homeless individuals were found in Fleetwood. With 399 of 602 people, 66% of the population in Surrey was sheltered, compared to 71% in the population across Metro Vancouver. The majority of people who did not find shelter on the night of March 7 were found in Surrey Central (72% of all people who were unsheltered).

5. The Surrey Extended Urban Strategy (SEUS) In order to better understand the limitations of the Point-in-Time (PiT) Count Methodology an additional strategy in the Newton area of Surrey was implemented to attempt to identify homeless individuals who were missed on count day. A similar approach was previously implemented in Montreal’s 2015 homeless count that included surveys for two days after their 24-hour count in selected service locations. Surveying was continued on established routes and at partner organizations’ sites for two additional days on March 9 and 10 in the Newton area of Surrey. The enhanced survey consisted of screening questions that determined whether individuals had already been counted (a) in the 24-hour count on March 8 and (b) in the follow-up survey on March 9 and 10. Nine indicators were collected (age, gender, Aboriginal identity, length of time homeless, source of income, military service, length of time in the community, where individuals came from, Ministry of Children and Family Development care). To ensure longitudinal comparability, results from the SEUS pilot are not tallied into the overall totals in this report.

5.1. SEUS Findings A total of 13 additional homeless individuals were interviewed through the Surrey Extended Urban Strategy in Surrey-Newton. On March 8, the day of the Homeless Count, 119 individuals were found homeless. There were therefore a total of 132 homeless individuals surveyed in Surrey-Newton, with SEUS participants representing 10% of those interviewed.2

2 Of the 13 interviewed through SEUS, seven of the individuals interviewed were men/male (54%), while six were women/female (46%). Three individuals (23%) identified as Aboriginal/Indigenous. Two individuals

Table 1: Homeless Population by Surrey Community - Sheltered and Unsheltered, 2017

Community

Sheltered Unsheltered Total

Total Shelters EWR

# % # % # % # % # %

Cloverdale 14 4% 10 3% 4 9% 1 0% 15 2%

Fleetwood - 0% - 0% - 0% - 0% - 0%

Guildford 46 12% 45 13% 1 2% 10 5% 56 9%

Newton 75 19% 62 17% 13 30% 44 22% 119 20%

South Surrey - 0% - 0% - 0% 1 0% 1 0%

Surrey Central 264 66% 238 67% 26 59% 147 72% 411 68%

Total 399 100% 355 100% 44 100% 203 100% 602 100%


6. Profile of Homelessness in Surrey and Metro Vancouver Table 2: Surrey/Metro Homeless Population, Sheltered and Unsheltered (2017) Shelters EWR Unsheltered Total

Surrey 355 44 203 602

Metro Vancouver 2,317 256 1,032 3,605

Table 3: Gender Identity – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) and General Population (2016)

Surrey Metro Vancouver Metro Vancouver

Population # % # % # %

Male 326 69% 1,688 72% 1,202,17

5 49%

Female 144 30% 628 27% 1,261,25

5 51%

Another gender identity 4 1% 25 1% n/a n/a

Total Respondents 474 100% 2,341 100% 2,463,43

0 100%

Table 4: Age Groups – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) and General Population (2016)


Residents # % # % # %

Under 25 Years 46 10% 386 16% 671,665 27%

25-34 Years 77 16% 437 18% 362,565 15%

35-44 Years 117 25% 522 22% 336,330 14%

45-54 Years 116 25% 550 23% 375,655 15%

55-64 Years 86 18% 395 16% 329,900 13%

65+ Years 28 6% 123 5% 387,315 16%

Total Respondents 470 100% 2,413 100% 2,463,430 100%

Table 5: Aboriginal Identity – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) and General Population (2016)


Population # % # % # %

Indigenous/Aboriginal 137 29% 746 34% 64,945 3% Non-Indigenous/ Aboriginal

329 71% 1,453 66% 2,215,755 97%

were 55 or older (16%), while one individual was between 19 and 24 (8%). Ten individuals were adults between 25 and 54 years of age (77%). Eight of the individuals interviewed had been homeless for less than one year, while five had been homeless for a year or more. Twelve of the thirteen (92%) had lived in Surrey for a year or more, with eight having lived there for more than 10 years (61%). Four (31%) reported having been in Ministry care. Six individuals (46%) received income from welfare/income assistance, while three individuals were on disability benefits (23%) and three individuals received income through binning (23%).


Total Respondents 466 100% 2,199 100% 2,280,700 100%

Table 6: Identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, queer or questioning – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017)

Surrey Metro Vancouver # % # %

Not LGBTQ2+ or questioning 417 93% 171 8% LGBTQ2+ or questioning 29 7% 1924 91% Other 2 25 1% Total Respondents 446 100% 2,120 100%

Table 7: Incidence of health conditions – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) Health condition Surrey Metro Vancouver

# % # % No health conditions 69 15% 384 17% One health condition 135 29% 673 30% Two or more health conditions 266 57% 1,164 52% Total Respondents 470 100% 2,221 100%

Table 8: Types of health conditions – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) Health condition (more than 1 response possible)


Addiction 262 56% 1,172 53% Medical condition/illness 232 49% 967 44% Mental illness 170 36% 848 38% Physical disability 163 35% 742 33% Total Respondents 470 2,221

Table 9: Length of time homeless – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) Length of time homeless Surrey Metro Vancouver

# % # % Less than 1 week 12 3% 47 2% 1 week to under 1 month 21 4% 143 6% 1 month to under 6 months 146 31% 588 26% 6 months to under 1 year 76 16% 331 15% 1 year or more 220 46% 1,153 51% Total Respondents 475 100% 2,262 100%

Table 10: Length of time in municipality – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) Length of time in municipality Surrey Metro Vancouver

# % # % Less than 1 week 4 1% 43 2%


1 week to under 1 month 10 2% 81 4% 1 month to under 6 months 57 12% 237 10% 6 months to under 1 year 21 4% 135 6% 1 year to under 5 years 86 18% 401 18% 5 years to under 10 years 48 10% 227 10% 10 years or more 171 36% 773 34% Always lived here 78 16% 365 16% Total Respondents 475 100% 2,262 100%

Table 11: Source of income – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) Sources of income (more than 1 response possible)


Government Transfers Income assistance 221 47% 927 42% Disability benefit 150 32% 615 28% OAS/GIS 14 3% 80 4% CPP or Other Pension 30 6% 165 7% Employment Insurance 5 1% 26 1% Youth Agreement 0 0% 8 0% Employment 63 13% 468 21% Part-time employment 43 9% 346 16% Full-time employment 20 4% 122 6% Other Sources Binning, bottle collecting, etc. 68 14% 339 15% Panhandling 33 7% 232 11% Friends/family 20 4% 189 9% Honoraria 7 1% 39 2% Vending 21 4% 153 7% Other 35 7% 178 8% No income 45 10% 208 9% Total Respondents 469 2,209


Table 12: Services used – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) Services used (more than 1 response possible)


Meal programs/soup kitchens 200 43% 1,014 47% Emergency room 241 52% 1,089 50% Drop-in 162 35% 810 37% Health clinic 175 38% 843 39% Outreach 137 30% 726 33% Hospital (non-emergency) 188 41% 870 40% Food banks 92 20% 565 26% Ambulance 193 42% 845 39% Total addiction services 119 26% 593 27%

Addiction services (supervised injection site)

30 6% 217 10% Addiction services (all other addiction services

76 16% 381 18% Employment/job help 72 16% 457 21% Dental 83 18% 383 18% Mental health 88 19% 468 22% Legal 51 11% 302 14% Housing help/eviction prevention 78 17% 337 16% Transitional housing 56 12% 244 11% Parole/services for ex-offenders 27 6% 150 7% Budgeting/trusteeship 10 2% 67 3% Newcomer services 8 2% 52 2% Faith-based/spiritual services 71 15% 356 16% Other 11 2% 83 4% None 6 1% 58 3% Total Respondents 464 2,169

Table 13: Currently or previously in ministry care – Surrey/Metro Respondents (2017) Ministry Care Surrey Metro Vancouver

# % # % No 347 1,598 Yes 87 423 Total Respondents 434 2,021


7. Cross-Tabulations of Gender Identity, Sexual Identity and Aboriginal Identity by Age for Respondents in Surrey Please note that this information was not further analyzed in this profile but is provided for information and use by Service providers in Surrey.

Age Group Under 19 19-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+ Total What is your gender?

Man/male 35% 61% 62% 66% 72% 85% 72% 100% 70% Woman/female 65% 39% 38% 34% 27% 14% 20% 0% 30% Another gender identity 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 1% 8% 0% 1% Total respondents 17 28 77 117 116 86 25 3 469

Do you identify as LGBTQ2+ or questioning?

No 82% 93% 84% 88% 91% 92% 92% 100% 89% Yes 12% 7% 9% 7% 5% 5% 0% 0% 6% Unknown 6% 0% 7% 5% 4% 4% 8% 0% 5% Total respondents 17 27 76 117 114 83 25 3 462

Do you consider yourself to be an Aboriginal person?

No 56% 64% 65% 62% 72% 83% 72% 100% 69% Yes 39% 32% 32% 38% 26% 15% 24% 0% 29% Unknown 6% 4% 3% 0% 2% 2% 4% 0% 2% Total respondents 18 28 77 117 116 86 25 3 470

2017-homeless-count surreypolicybrief final 2017sep25...the surrey homeless count brief contains...

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